Ciliary neurotrophic factor activates NF-κB to enhance mitochondrial bioenergetics and prevent neuropathy in sensory neurons of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rodents.

Diabetes causes mitochondrial dysfunction in sensory neurons that may contribute to peripheral neuropathy. Ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) promotes sensory neuron survival and axon regeneration and prevents axonal dwindling, nerve conduction deficits and thermal hypoalgesia in diabetic rats. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that CNTF protects sensory neuron function during diabetes through normalization of impaired mitochondrial bioenergetics. In addition, we investigated whether the NF-κB signal transduction pathway was mobilized by CNTF. Neurite outgrowth of sensory neurons derived from streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats was reduced compared to neurons from control rats and exposure to CNTF for 24 h enhanced neurite outgrowth. CNTF also activated NF-κB, as assessed by Western blotting for the NF-κB p50 subunit and reporter assays for NF-κB promoter activity. Conversely, blockade of NF-κB signaling using SN50 peptide inhibited CNTF-mediated neurite outgrowth. Studies in mice with STZ-induced diabetes demonstrated that systemic therapy with CNTF prevented functional indices of peripheral neuropathy along with deficiencies in dorsal root ganglion (DRG) NF-κB p50 expression and DNA binding activity. DRG neurons derived from STZ-diabetic mice also exhibited deficiencies in maximal oxygen consumption rate and associated spare respiratory capacity that were corrected by exposure to CNTF for 24 h in an NF-κB-dependent manner. We propose that the ability of CNTF to enhance axon regeneration and protect peripheral nerve from structural and functional indices of diabetic peripheral neuropathy is associated with targeting of mitochondrial function, in part via NF-κB activation, and improvement of cellular bioenergetics.

Receptor for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE) activates divergent signaling pathways to augment neurite outgrowth of adult sensory neurons.

BACKGROUND: The receptor for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE) is implicated in neuronal differentiation during embryogenesis and in regulation of peripheral nerve regeneration. However, the role of RAGE ligands and the signaling pathways utilized by activated RAGE in mediating axon regeneration in adult neurons remain unknown. We tested the hypothesis that RAGE signaling modulated neurotrophin-induced neurite outgrowth in cultured adult sensory neurons. RESULTS: Dorsal root ganglia (DRG) neurons from adult rats in vitro were exposed to specific RAGE ligands, signal transduction inhibitors and function blocking anti-RAGE IgG to assess their impact on neurite outgrowth. RAGE ligands including human glycated albumin (HGA), S100 calcium binding protein (S100B) and high mobility group 1 protein (HMGB1; alternatively termed amphoterin) in the presence of neurotrophins elevated neurite outgrowth 2-fold (p<0.05). shRNA to RAGE or anti-RAGE IgG blockade of RAGE inhibited neurite outgrowth by 40-90% (p<0.05). Western blotting and gene reporter analysis showed RAGE ligands activated NF-κB, JAK-STAT and ERK pathways. RAGE ligand induction of neurite outgrowth was blocked by inhibition of NF-κB, JAK-STAT or ERK pathways revealing the necessity for combined activation for optimal growth. RAGE ligands rapidly elevated NF-κB p65 expression in the cytoplasm while triggering translocation of NF-κB p50 to the nucleus. shRNA blockade of p50 demonstrated that translocation of p50 to the nucleus was implicated in driving axonal outgrowth. CONCLUSIONS: RAGE signaling is a complex mediator of neurotrophin-dependent neurite outgrowth, operating through divergent but partly inter-dependent pathways.

Tumor necrosis factor-α elevates neurite outgrowth through an NF-κB-dependent pathway in cultured adult sensory neurons: Diminished expression in diabetes may contribute to sensory neuropathy.

The presence of a proinflammatory environment in the sensory neuron axis in diabetes was tested by measuring levels of proinflammatory cytokines in lumbar dorsal root ganglia (DRG) and peripheral nerve from age matched control and streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. The levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα) and other cytokines were diminished in lumbar DRG from diabetic animals. Consequently, we tested the hypothesis that TNFα modulated axonal plasticity in adult sensory neurons and posited that impairments in this signal transduction pathway may underlie degeneration in diabetic sensory neuropathy. Cultured adult rat sensory neurons were grown under defined conditions and TNFα caused a dose-dependent 2-fold (P<0.05) elevation in neurite outgrowth. Neurons derived from 3 to 5month STZ-induced diabetic rats exhibited significantly reduced levels of neurite outgrowth in response to TNFα. TNFα enhanced NF-κB activity as assessed using Western blotting and plasmid reporter technology. Blockade of TNFα-induction of NF-κB activation caused inhibition of neurite outgrowth in cultured neurons. Immunofluorescent staining for NF-κB subunit p50 within neuronal nuclei revealed that medium to large diameter neurons were most susceptible to NF-κB inhibition and was associated with decreased neurite outgrowth. The results demonstrating reduced cytokine expression in DRG confirm that diabetic sensory neuropathy does not involve a neuroinflammatory component at this stage of the disease in experimental animal models. In addition, it is hypothesized that reduced TNFα expression in the DRG and possibly associated deficits in anterograde transport may contribute to impaired collatoral sprouting and regeneration in target tissue in type 1 diabetes.